The ministry decided to deploy the joint federal police force on
Wednesday in response to violent rioting across the country. The
troops will reportedly be tasked with mediating the conflict,
rather than punishing protesters.

The National Public Security Force is usually deployed in Brazil
to address serious security crises, such as prison riots or major
gang violence.

The protests were sparked earlier this month by a hike in public
transport fees and escalated into a massive anti-government movement,
with hundreds of thousands of people marching to express anger at
the state’s policies.

The cost of hosting the World Cup in Brazil is one of the key
issues of the protest – demonstrators say the money would have
been better spent on alleviating public problems, rather than on
a major sporting event.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff tried to defuse tensions on
Tuesday, saying that her government is looking to the people and
is willing to act on the demonstrators’ grievances. "The size
of yesterday's demonstrations shows the energy of our democracy,
the strength of the voice of the streets and the civility of our
population,” the president said in a televised address.

She went on to condemn the incidents of violence, and called on
the demonstrators to protest peacefully.